Got 10-20 minutes? A great playlist? let’s Hiit it!

Back in January, I would have screwed up my face and let out a little huff when I saw the word ‘HIIT’ meaning High-Intensity Interval Training, and if anyone even suggested it to me.. well.

And with January being January, it felt like it would take 1000 balloons to lift my mood.

I started reading into exercise magazines and fitness guides to try and find a way to keep fit and tone up, but in a way that produced quick results (I know.. I know.. patience is key) and actually made me feel good and like I had accomplished something, rather than feeling like I hadn’t really done anything.

That was when I started reading up more about HIIT.
Now, HIIT forms a key part of most, if not all my workouts, and here are my top three reasons why:

It gets your heart rate up and actually makes you feel good HIIT by nature involves short bursts of strenuous high-effort exercise, increasing your heart rate up towards your maximum heart rate zone (220 – your age), followed by rest intervals. Because HIIT is a series of short energy bursts, I love the way it makes me feel really refreshed and relaxed in the hours following it, with productivity, concentration, and general mood also being elevated.

You only need two things: you and your workout clothes. (Oh, and that great playlist – listening to high tempo music not only improves motivation but also has a knock on heart-rate increasing effect)

It’s quick! You can do it anywhere and incorporate it into any workout or keep it as a stand-alone workout. HIIT fits in nicely with a weights routine if you want to keep a focus on strength-building, but because HIIT works every muscle in the body and is a great burst of cardio, it’s all you really need and only needs to take 10-20 minutes!

With all that in mind, I started to try and pick things out from different HIIT workouts that I liked, and sort of mashed them together. Here it is!

Remember, if you are not feeling up to it then stop exercising and drink some water.

Grab a bottle of water, let’s stretch it out

Stretches (sides, arms, hamstrings, quads)

10 arm swings

10 leg swings

Let’s warm up a bit

Squats x 10

squat pulses x 5

Side lunges x 10 each side

star jumps x 20 seconds

Now HIIT it

Focus: Legs, glutes and arms

Squat jump – burpee – squat jump x 10

30-second rest

Squat jump – burpee – squat jump x 10

30-second rest

Squat jump – burpee – squat jump x 10

2-minute rest

Focus: Arms and core

Plank x 30 seconds

1-minute rest

plank to push-up x 30 seconds

1-minute rest

press up x 10 (keep knees on the floor if needed)

Final frontier

As many squats as possible in 30 seconds

Stretch it out

Stretches (sides, arms, hamstrings, quads,)

I hope you enjoyed reading! Let me know what you think in the comments below!